Regression Blues
by Barbellenel
Summary: Immediate follow-up to my story "Regression." Now that they know, how will they handle it? Will Hisagi ever get a good night's sleep? Or enough coffee? Will Kenpachi get revenge? Will Isane find love?
1. Chapter 1

**DISCLAIMER: I do not own Bleach, although I am grateful for the opportunity to make my favorite character, Shuuhei Hisagi, once again suffer at my hands as I pretend to be a writer. **

**This story takes place immediately after my story, "Regression." While this one stands alone, it might be helpful to read "Regression," since it goes into further detail of the many strange events. **

**WARNING: I am well-aware that this story does not follow Bleach canon, so please do not give reviews based on whether or not the story is true to canon. Trust me, it isn't. In my Bleach universe, Soul Reapers are discouraged from remembering their lives and deaths in the world of the living. "The less known, the better." This is also my attitude about hypnosis. I do not know a lot about it. Enjoy the story for what it is, flaws and all.**

* * *

"Isane! Isane! Open up!"

"Shuuhei, what are you doing here? Get in here before someone sees you. Are you crazy? You can't just barge into my room like this in the middle of the night."

"Please, Isane, please help me. Make the dreams go away, Isane, please. Boxing parakeets, Tousen in a barrel, bulls on a plane…."

In spite of herself, she pulled him close to her. It broke her heart to see him this way. But then again, breaking her heart was nothing new for him.

* * *

Five days earlier…

"Do something, Misaki," grumbled one of the men as he passed third seat Misaki Ino of the Ninth Division. For the third night in a row, a scream of terror had raced through the camp. Shinigamis in various states of undress had come running from their tents at full alert, just like the previous nights. Ino, quick to check on the suspected source of the disturbance, had reassured the men and sent them back to their tents to try to recapture their dreams. "Ya gotta do something about him," agreed another before he disappeared into his tent.

Ino stepped into Vice Captain Shuuhei Hisagi's tent and roused the sleeping man.

"Hisagi, wake up. You were screaming in your sleep, sir."

"Huh? I was?" came the husky reply.

"Yes, sir. You woke the whole division." Ino knelt next to his vice captain's field cot.

"What?" A hand rubbed at groggy eyes. "Again?"

"Yes, sir," Ino spoke softly to his commander and friend. "Shuuhei, the men and I are concerned about you. We've been field training for three days now, and every night, you wake up everybody except yourself with your screaming."

Hisagi sat up and ran both hands through his unruly hair. He looked blearily at his comrade. "If you have something to say, Ino, say it."

The younger man sighed and placed a hand on his superior's forearm. "We're here for you, Shuuhei. No one wants you to be promoted to captain of the ninth more than we do. When the traitor Tousen left, you were there for us. You ran the division, scheduled field exercises, did everything it took to keep us going as a team, as a unit. We're here for you now," Ino paused to catch his breath, "but you've got to get a handle on these dreams of yours. You show such strength during the day, but you seem so vulnerable at night. It's kind of a morale buster, sir, especially if you're having nightmares about Tousen." Ino looked his comrade in the eye. "The Giant Hollow attack that scarred you, we can understand. But not Tousen. He's not worth it. Hisagi, tell me you're not having nightmares about a traitor like Tousen."

Feeling ambushed, the Vice Captain replied a little too forcefully, "No, Ino, I'm not. I know you mean well, but I'm fine."

"Yes, sir, if you say so." Hesitant, Ino said quietly, "I hope I haven't stepped out of line…sir."

Hisagi gentled. He lowered his eyes and spoke softly, "No, Ino, it's fine. I understand your concern. This has nothing to do with Tousen, I can assure you." He laid a hand on the younger officer's shoulder. "Apologize to the men for me and go back to sleep, Misaki. We have a long day of field exercises tomorrow...er, this morning."

"Yes, sir. Good night, sir." The younger officer nodded and backed quickly out of the tent. Hisagi heard him reassuring the men that were milling around the bivouac.

He stretched and yawned to clear his head. Further sleep was now a lost cause, which suited him. He had no desire to scream like a little girl in front of his men again.

Rubbing his hand over his bare chest, he rose from the cot and threw on a pair of shorts. He paced the tent, one hand behind his back, the fingertips of his other hand playing over the three scars that ran vertically down his right cheek.

When he dreamed, he didn't dream about the Giant Hollow attack. It had happened in the line of duty, and he accepted his scars as the price of battle. But the scars to his heart were much deeper and much more frightening to him. He hadn't lied to Masaki Ino, exactly. He did dream of a traitor, but not the one Ino had suggested. Tousen's betrayal had shaken his ideals. But, that betrayal was easier to deal with than the knowledge that Hisagi possessed of another betrayal, one that cut him to the core and made him wonder what kind of man he truly was.

He felt like a coward. What kind of captain was he going to be if he couldn't be honest with his own men? These dreams haunted him. How could he explain this to his men when they expected him to be a strong leader, and all he felt was fear?

"Damned chicken shit!" The sound of his own voice startled him. He shook off his thoughts and doubts. No, his men needed him to be strong, and that's what he intended for them to see in the fast approaching morning.

"Coffee. What I wouldn't give for a cup of coffee right now." Searching through his duffle, he held up the empty tin that had stored his coffee rations. "That can't be all I had with me. I packed in enough coffee for a week!" With rising panic, he tore through his tent, overturning his cot, rifling through his extra clothing, scattering training documents, all in vain. In frustration, he kicked the corner of the overturned cot. "Ow, ow, ow." Holding his sore toe, Hisagi hopped on one foot to the flap of the tent.

"Ino!" he yelled out into the waning dark, "where's my coffee?"

The third seat of the ninth division was standing around with a small group of men, just off to the side of Shuuhei's tent. "You used up your officer's rations yesterday, Vice Captain," came the reply.

"I need some coffee."

"I'm sorry, sir, but there's nothing left but the men's rations."

"I need coffee; I need it bad. Tell the men that whoever supplies me with coffee will get the morning off from field exercises."

"Yes, sir!"

The group of men scattered to their tents, each tent coming alive with activity. Men raced back and forth between tents as word of a possible morning off spread quickly through the camp. Hisagi's men trained very hard, and these past three days had been no exception. He was a disciplined task master, even without proper sleep. A morning off during field exercises was a rare treat, especially when all it took to get it were coffee rations.

Within minutes, Vice Captain Hisagi had more packs of coffee than a normal man could use up in a month. But he was not a normal man, especially lately. Coffee had become his drug of choice. He chugged it at every opportunity, trying to sleep as little as possible in order to dream as little as possible. Yet, somehow, sleep always seemed to catch up to him, and with sleep came the dreams…and the fear.

He scrutinized his new cache of coffee, "Yes, that will do nicely, at least until we get back to the Seireitei in a day or two." The morning and a certain realization dawned on him at the same time. He would be training by himself this morning. "But at least, I have my coffee."

And after a morning off, Division 9 would be ready for an afternoon of pure training misery.


	2. Chapter 2

While Hisagi's nightmares had started long ago, Yumichika Ayasegawa's nightmare had started only recently.

Yumichika and four of his Shinigami friends had been hypnotized by Isane Kotetsu of Division 4, the same Isane whose door would be assaulted by a deranged black-haired Shinigami in the middle of the night a few days from now. They had begged her to regress them to their past lives in the world of the living in order to find out how they had died, a practice frowned upon by the Soul Society. Hisagi had warned them that no good would come of it, but still they had proceeded, proving only that Shinigamis rush in where fools fear to tread.

Renji Abarai had gone down in the boxing ring, done in by a manager on the take.

Izuru Kira had been an Olympic silver medalist in figure skating, cut down in the prime of life by a drunk driver.

Ikkaku Madarame had been a rodeo clown, his death occurring in Pamplona, Spain, gored by a bull as he tried to save a fellow rodeo rider from the same fate.

Tetsuzaemon Iba had fared well in life as a wealthy man and philanthropist, but not so well in death when his mission of mercy ended with a deadly plane crash.

Initially, each man had been excited to learn of his fate in the world of the living, but a few days later, Hisagi's warning was coming back to haunt them faster than they could shunpo past a house of horrors.

Yumichika, in particular, had been traumatized by his particularly bizarre and gruesome death at the hands, or rather beaks, of Australian budgies. Attacked by the flock of parakeets, he had fallen under a tractor and been mulched, only then to be trampled by stampeding Emus. Since learning of his spectacular death, he had barricaded himself inside of his room, refusing to eat, refusing to talk to anyone. Not even looking in his favorite mirror could cheer him up.

Finally, after three days, his comrades had convinced him to open the door and let them come in. Ikkaku was under considerable pressure from Captain Zaraki Kenpachi of Division 11 to either bring Yumichika back to his senses, or to "kill him where he stands if the lazy S.O.B. isn't going to be of any use in a good fight."

"Yumi, open up, or I'm going to kill you."

"Why should I open the door if you're going to threaten me?"

"I'm going to kill you if you don't."

"How are you going to kill me if you can't get in?"

"Yumi, it's Kira. We brought food."

"Why didn't you say so? I'm starving!"

The door opened, and a tired, but tidy, Yumichika led them into an ornate cubbyhole of comfort. The air was thick with a delicate fragrance. Royal blue draperies covering the windows and walls created a blue haze of light that softly illuminated the occupants, the bluish aura coloring Ikkaku's bald head. Gold and turquoise brocaded pillows the size of small vice captains littered both the floor and the oversized round bed in the center of the room. A canopy of soft purple tulle cascaded from the center of the ceiling, surrounding the bed, but was pulled open and fastened by golden cords on the far side. More gold and turquoise decorated the warm fall-into-it-and-get-lost-until-morning quilt on the bed. On the floor was a dark orange carpet of plush fibers. An enamel vase on a sideboard held not only peacock feathers, but also a glistening zanpakutou. On the whole, the room had a luxurious flair to it, over the top, yet strangely comfortable, except that one could not look anywhere in the room without encountering a glimpse of himself in a full-length mirror.

Iba and Kira seated themselves around the room on the pillows, while Ikkaku sat on the edge of the bed and Renji stood at what seemed to be the bottom of it.

Before anyone was allowed to speak, Yumichika seated himself in the center of the bed and rather indelicately wolfed down the food that they had brought. Three days of not eating was just long enough to make his friends understand the depth of his suffering, but not so long that his beautiful features would have turned gaunt and ugly.

"So Shuuhei didn't come with you?" asked Yumichika in an off-handed fashion, dabbing the corners of his mouth with Ikkakku's sleeve.

"Hey! Use your own damn sleeve."

Yumichika looked at him with sad eyes, "You really don't care about my feelings, do you?" He turned to Kira, "So where's Hisagi?"

"He took his division out a couple of days ago on field training exercises."

"Huh! I'm suffering through an unbearable personal crisis because of him and he's in the field having fun." With a sniff, he lay down on the bed, placing his arm across his forehead, carefully avoiding his feathered brow. With the other hand, he picked up a paper fan that had been laying on the bed. The others waited expectantly. He did not move, not even to fan himself. An awkward silence filled the room, amplified by the soft walls. Finally, he snorted, "I gave those Emus everything I had."

"We know, Yumi." The other men nodded at each other, although Yumichika's previous life in the world of the living seemed a bit of a mystery to them all.

"It's bad enough that I got pecked to death by parakeets and run over by a tractor. But an Emu stampede? To have what was left of me trampled and stomped on by my own beloved hand-raised Emus. Charlotte. Cornelius. How could you? Oh, the betrayal! I can't imagine a more horrible death than that." Yumichika's eyelids fluttered in time with the fan that he was now rapidly waving over his face.

"You hit the Trifecta of death, that's for sure," said Renji, sympathetically.

"What a horrible thing to say!" The fan shot through the air at the red-head. Renji ducked. It hit a drapery panel behind him and fell silently to the floor, any sound swallowed up by the carpeting.

"I'm just agreeing with you," defended the tattooed man.

"You're such an idiot, Renji," Ikkaku sneered. "We're trying to cheer him up, not lead him further into no man's land. Thanks to you, I may have to kill him."

"I didn't mean anything by it," shrugged Renji. "It's just that most guys only die one way; he died three. It's weird."

"It's all right, Renji," said Yumichika graciously, "I'm well-aware that you can't help what you say sometimes. Nor can you help who you are."

"Hey! I'm just saying that it sounds really bizarre, like something out of a fantasy story."

"Well, if it was, it was written by someone with a very warped sense of humor," complained Yumichika.

"He's got a point, Yumi," nodded Kira.

"Maybe if it had happened to you, you wouldn't think so. I appreciate all of you coming here, but this is not cheering me up." Yumichika sat up, pulling his knees up to his chest with his arms.

Silence invaded the room once again. Iba said thoughtfully, "Maybe Hisagi was right. Maybe we shouldn't know who we were and how we died. It can be a lot of pressure, you know?"

"That's bull! No offense, Ikkaku."

The former rodeo clown scowled.

"We have a right to know!" Renji punched his fist down on the edge of the bed, making a soft "poomf" sound as the quilt billowed around his hand. He argued, "This is all his fault anyway. There are only two reasons why he wanted to keep us away from Isane."

"Yea? Let's hear 'em, Lava Locks," Ikkaku commanded.

"At least, I don't look like a snow globe."

"Hold me back. Somebody hold me back!" Ikkaku struggled to get off the ultra-plush bed. He gave up when he realized that it was the bed that was holding him back.

Renji smiled a crooked grin. "Number one, he was afraid I'd hit on her and she wouldn't be able to say no to the 'charm on her arm.'" He pointed proudly to himself with his thumb. "That would be me, of course."

"Put the brakes on, lover boy. Don't you have a date with Yachiru tonight?"

"…and number two," he continued seriously, ignoring Ikkaku, "he wanted to be the only one who knew his fate in the living world so he could brag about it. You saw how he acted, all self-righteous and all." He looked around the room at the other men, before looking directly at Yumichika. Folding his arms, he said dramatically, "He was just being selfish." He nodded his head for emphasis. "I rest my case."

Renji had always had a slight streak of jealousy when it came to Shuuhei. He really didn't understand why himself, but he never passed up a chance to needle his good friend. A little back-stabbing felt good now and again, as long as he was the one doing it and not someone else.

"Cool it, Renji. You didn't prove anything. We all know Shuuhei doesn't have a selfish bone in his body," Kira continued, "and as for Isane, you're not much of a threat 'cause you're not her type."

"Hey, if she likes Shuuhei, she likes tattoos. I got tattoos."

"You only want her because Shuuhei had her. Besides, I think what they had is long over with, don't you?" Kira asked.

Sinking slowly back into the bed, Yumichika replied absently, "She's still torching for him, but I don't think she'll admit it."

"How do you know that?"

"A pretty man is not without his ways, you know." He stiffened and wrinkled his nose as if smelling a particularly repugnant thought.

"Just because she still feels something for Hisagi doesn't mean that I can't hit on her too," Renji blurted, a bit hurt by Kira's comments.

"OH, RENJI!" Yumichika cried out suddenly. He flopped onto his stomach and fell sobbing into his pillow.

"What the hell, Yumi?"

"ONLY BEAUTIFUL PEOPLE GET HIT ON!" he wailed.

Puzzled, the men looked at each other, then to the sobbing man on the bed. Unsure of how to comfort him, and uncomfortable with the thought of trying, they chose to ignore him instead.

After a few awkward moments had passed, Kira said quietly, "Seriously, maybe Iba's right. I think Hisagi was genuinely concerned that something like this might happen. He seemed to be speaking from experience."

"Well, he should have warned us louder! This is all his fault!" Yumichika's outburst continued vehemently. "He should have stopped me! My life is tainted now! It was so much more beautiful when I didn't know what I know now!"

Yumichika's stifling riatsu flooded the room, only to be absorbed just as quickly by the lush fabrics surrounding him. The four confused men felt the room closing in around them oppressively.

Iba finally broke the silence. "This pillow is really soft, Yumi. And the colors go so well with the rest of the room."

Yumichika sniffed and wiped his nose on Ikkaku's sleeve.

"What the hell?"

"Why, thank you, Iba. I never expected you, of all people, to notice such a thing." Rolling onto his back with a contented sigh, he looked around the room. "It is rather beautiful, isn't it? I take such comfort in this décor." He straightened a stray hair in the mirror on the ceiling. "It's so soothing to see beauty everywhere I look."

His voice trailed off as he wandered off into a weary sleep.

They looked at the sleeping form of the raven-haired Shinigami, sunk into the deep comfort of the bed. He looked at peace.

"Let's go get a drink. I think we deserve it."

"You got that right. Dude here isn't the easiest guy to calm down."

They moved quietly through the room, leaving the sleeping man to the warmth of his bed. But before they could reach the door, he sat bolt upright and screamed, "I DON'T WANT TO BE BALD LIKE IKKAKU, ISANE. IT'S NOT BEAUTIFUL!"

Ikkaku resented the others for holding him back. "Kenpachi told me I could kill him!"


	3. Chapter 3

The field training had gone smoothly after that night.

After a morning off, the division had trained hard while their vice captain guzzled his precious coffee. They were working well together, preparing for the coming battle in which they would face their former captain. The common feeling of betrayal served as a binding force, making swords sharper and reactions faster. Hisagi had forced himself to stay awake the last night of camp. To disturb his men again was unthinkable.

The next morning, a tired Shuuhei Hisagi returned to the Division 9 office, shoving his gear into a closet without unpacking. He collapsed face down on the couch. In spite of the coffee and against his will, he promptly fell asleep.

He dreamt of gaining justice for his squad, of unleashing his Zanpakutou on their behalf, of surrounding and binding Tousen with powerful Kidou. He dreamt of avenging the unforgivable betrayal. He dreamt of a dangerous game with the man, a game where Tousen ducked into barrels and Shuuhei whacked him on the head with a huge mallet. He dreamt of a smoking gun in Tousen's hand as he emerged from one of those barrels. He dreamt of acrid smoke, a scream in the night air, of blood. His own blood running into his clown shoes. Tousen screaming _why, why, why, did you betray me?_

Only it wasn't Tousen; it was a faceless entity that he knew to be his wife, although he wasn't sure how he knew. _Why did you make me do this?_ His dream-self collapsed on the bed in an ocean of blood next to his lover, drowning in his guilt, struggling for air, his squad standing around the bed laughing at him for dying. Tousen in a barrel laughing too. Shuuhei was afraid, terrified, whimpering in his sleep. _You thought you could lead us, bring Tousen to justice for us? You can't even save yourself. You're a drowning man, Hisagi. Die and let justice be served._

He woke suddenly with a gasp, drenched in sweat, still struggling for air when there was no need. The dream. There it was again, vague, yet so very vivid. He knew what it was about without actually remembering it upon waking. The academy taught that the less known about a previous life, the better. In this case, it was absolutely true. This same dream in one form or another had plagued him since that day at the academy. It had gone away in recent years, only to eat its way back into his consciousness like acid when Tousen deserted. It had become more frequent and now, it would not go away. He was terrified of this dream, of the mayhem, of the consequences…of his own betrayal of the woman he had once loved…and maybe still did. Every time he had it, it got more and more confusing, melding with Tousen and the past lives of his friends. For the past week, emus and rodeo clowns had taken over the scene of his murder.

What had started as a boast of sorts had blown up in his face. After being goaded mercilessly by Renji and the others, he had revealed that he knew about his past life while they didn't. It was a boast that he seriously regretted now. He had told them about his life as a philandering Physical Education instructor and his death at the hands of his betrayed wife. He could still hear Ikkaku yelling in his face, "Hey, Gym Shu!"

Damned Ikkaku.

Yet he had tried to save them from the torment that he had endured for years. He had tried to tell the others how dangerous it was to know about their past lives and deaths in the living world. They hadn't listened, and with his words, he had broken a promise to someone he had never wanted to hurt again. Facing Isane day-to-day scared him more than Giant Hollows ever could. He didn't feel worthy of her love any more, knowing that he had betrayed her.

And now, he had done it again, and his friends were paying for his lack of discretion.

He rose from the couch and stumbled into the captain's shower. The warm water tumbled down his body, relaxing his taut muscles. He leaned against the shower wall. He'd go for a nice walk after this, he decided. That would be refreshing. If he was walking, he wouldn't be dreaming.

Of course, he'd have to fetch a dry uniform from his quarters. The one he was wearing was soaking wet.


	4. Chapter 4

Refreshed and in dry clothes, Shuuhei was walking back from his quarters on the second floor walkway. Lost in thought, he was planning his next training session for his men. They had been too eager to trade coffee for time off. While he had appreciated the caffeine and they had worked hard in the afternoon, he felt the need to push them a little further than usual during the next field exercises. He would be sure to pack enough coffee so that there was no repeat of the bargain from the other morning. Once was enough.

He rounded the corner recklessly, coming face to face with Isane, the one person that he didn't want to see that day. In fact, he had been trying to avoid her since the regression debacle with his Shinigami friends almost a week ago. The field exercises had been a handy excuse for not being around, but now, here she was, right in front of him, neither one of them particularly happy about it.

He stared, mouth open, unable to form a coherent thought. The look of betrayal in her eyes was unmistakable.

After what seemed an eternity, but was in truth only a few seconds, he managed to stammer, "Isane, how…how nice to see you."

"Lame, Shuuhei. You've been avoiding me." The tall woman fixed her stare directly into his gray eyes.

"Look, about the other day, I can explain…"

"No!" she erupted. "No, you can't explain this away, Shuuhei. How could you tell those Shinigami idiots about my research?" Her eyes were reddening with tears. Softly, she cried, "Shuuhei, how could you? You promised."

"I'm sorry. I didn't mean to. Renji and the guys were bugging me and I wanted to get them off my back. I just blurted it out, Isane. Honestly, I didn't mean any harm."

"No harm?" Her voice rose to a high pitch. "Don't you remember what happened to us? I abandoned my research for this very reason! Look at what poor Yumichiki Ayasegawa is going through! Or Tetsuzaemon Iba. He's working himself to the bone."

"They're not the only ones suffering here, Isane," Shuuhei protested, "I've had my share of suffering since that day at the academy…"

"I don't want to hear your suffering. I'm the one who's going to have to clean up this mess that you've created!"

"Look, Isane. I know you're mad and you have every right to be…"

"Don't give me that drivel, Vice Captain, it doesn't fly with me. I know you too well."

Withering under her anger, he entertained a brief image of Isane with a knife chasing after a chicken in the Ninth Division captain's haori. "I'm sorry…"

She glared at him, "Sorry doesn't cover it. There is no excuse for you breaking your promise and breaching the trust between us, Shuuhei. I've dealt with my past and moved on, but you had to go and dredge it up again. I was so angry that I told Kira that I'd kill you the next time I saw you, but you know what? I've had time to think it over. Frankly, I think those idiots got what they deserved. And as for you…"

The hard, fast slap across his face took him by surprise. He stumbled backwards against the wall, holding his cheek, growing red in the face.

"As for you, I no longer have a burning desire to kill you. But I never want to see you again as long as I live, Shuuhei Hisagi. If you're hurt or sick, don't come to my infirmary because I can't guarantee that you'll leave there alive. Stay out of my life!"

She turned on her heel and hurried out of sight.

His cheek burned from her assault. He felt around inside his mouth with his tongue for loose teeth, finding the tang of blood as well. The reeling, sick sensation in his stomach caught him off-guard. He leaned over the rail and vomited.

"Sorry, Captain Kyouraku. Glad you had your hat on, Sir. Yes, sir, sorry about that. I'll get you a new straw hat, sir…and a bottle of sake, too."


	5. Chapter 5

"Whatcha thinking about, Manly Man?" Ikkaku nudged Izuru, who was lost in thought, a forkful of mashed potatoes poised halfway between his mouth and plate.

Izuru, Renji and Ikkaku, were sitting at a table in the dining hall, finishing their dinners.

"Huh? Oh, just day dreaming. I can see the headline now: _Olympic Skater Hit by Drunk Driver Comes Back from Life-threatening Injuries to Capture the Gold!!!_" Kira placed each word carefully in the air in front of him with his hand. "Twice."

Ikkaku slapped the back of his head, pulling him out of his reverie. "Headlines too long; it'd take up the whole page. Besides, you died, dude."

"I know, but think about it, Ikkaku. Who knows how great I could have been? I know I died, so I'll never have the chance to find out, but if I had it to do over again, that's the way I'd like to see it."

"Pah," spat Ikkaku.

"Not so fast, Cue Ball. I kind of know what Dagger Bangs is getting at," said Renji, picking apart a piece of celery. "I like to think I could have won and been the next heavy-weight champ. Instead, I fight a losing bout with a Soul Reaper." He snapped the celery in half. Waving one half in circles, he stared thoughtfully off into space. "I think I'd like to still be in training for that one big fight. The biggest one in my life. The one where I'd be the heavy-weight boxing champion of the world."

"The one you should be training for is the one with Aizen and the Arrancar. That's the big one in this life," stated Ikkaku flatly.

"Yea, I suppose you're right. But still…"

"I know I'm right, Space Cadet."

"What about you, Ikkaku?" asked Kira, leaning closer. "Anything you'd change about the way you lived?"

"I was a rodeo clown, man. What do want me to say? I changed the world like Iba? Sorry, but I was stupid enough to get gored by a bull in Pamplona. What the hell kind of rodeo clown runs in front of a herd of stampeding bulls without even a barrel to jump into for protection? I'll tell ya what kind: a dead one." Ikkaku spat out a sesame seed and stood up. "I'm going to check in on Yumichika. If he isn't back in division headquarters by tomorrow, Kenpachi's going to take it out on my hide."

Ikkaku left his unfinished tray of food on the table and headed out the door. "You guys should have let me kill him when I had the chance."

After a minute, Renji dropped the unfinished celery on his plate. "I'm going to go too, 'Zuru. I'll catch up to you later, and we'll go over field training options."

"Right," said Kira with a sigh, "Back to training tomorrow then, I guess. I want to find Shuuhei. He hasn't been himself since he got back a few days ago."

"Go ahead, I'm tired of dealing with head cases."

Renji rose and walked towards the door.

Kira called after him, "Oh, sure, leave me to do all the clean-up."

* * *

As Kira finished clearing the dishes from the table, Shuuhei walked in the door and headed to the coffee machine.

"Hey, Kira," he called over his shoulder.

"Shuuhei! Just the man I wanted to see." He went over and gave the black-haired Shinigami a friendly slap on the back. Shuuhei lurched forward, spilling part of his coffee.

"Easy there, Kira. I'm happy to see you too."

"Sorry, Shu. Let me get you a refill." He reached for the coffee pot and poured.

Hisagi waited patiently. "How's Yumichika?" he asked.

"He's doing better, Shuuhei. We finally got to the bottom of it all. It wasn't the emus and the budgies and the tractor and all that. Actually, it was the shock of finding out that he had been middle-aged, fat, and bald, not exactly his image of beautiful. But I'm sure he'll be fine eventually. The sooner, the better for Ikkaku. How about you? Did you get any sleep last night?"

"Naw, too much caffeine; I was up and down all night, not that that's unusual any more. I can't seem to get a decent night's sleep."

"Could this be the reason?" Kira reached to remove the coffee cup from his hand. Hisagi's other hand went down to his katana, and Kira took the hint.

The two men walked out of the dining hall and along the wooden walkway past several division offices. Shuuhei, head bent towards his coffee cup, lapsed into silence as they walked, while Kira chatted amiably.

"Renji and I are planning joint training exercises. That way, if I have any problems with my squad or…ahem…whatever… I can rely on Renji. That's a good idea, right?"

"Well, he has Bankai," said Shuuhei absently.

"Are you suggesting that he use Bankai to keep my squad in line, Shuuhei?" Kira said indignantly.

Shuuhei looked up, startled by Izuru's brusque tone. Realizing what he had said, he sighed, "That's not what I meant, Izuru."

"What's wrong with you?"

"Nothing…I guess."

Izuru eyed the dark-haired vice captain quizzically. "You worried about something?" he asked.

"I suppose with my promotion on the line, I'm a bit concerned about that, but I don't know that I'm worried…"

"Then what? You're confusing the h-e-double toothpicks out of me, Hisagi."

"How do you think I feel? I'm confused too. …Wait, h-e-double toothpicks, Izuru?" Shuuhei cocked his head at the blond.

"Never mind that. Go on," urged an annoyed Kira.

He swallowed hard and continued, "It's just that …I feel bad that I haven't been to see Yumichika," the words tumbled out of his mouth like a flash-step, "but to tell you the truth, Izuru, I'm barely holding it together myself. I need a good night's sleep and it just won't come. No dreams, just sleep."

Izuru nodded. "I know what you mean. I keep dreaming about my past life and the way it could have been. I can't seem to shake this uneasy feeling that I died too soon."

"I warned you guys about knowing too much about your past lives. Now it's catching up to everyone." He took a slug of his coffee.

"You're right, Shuuhei. Yumi's been a basket case; Renji and I wish we could do it all over again with different results; and Ikkaku seems fixated on barrels."

"So Iba's the only one who's benefited from this?"

"Not really, Shu. Iba's placed an incredible amount of pressure on himself. He's trying to live up to the legacy of the humanitarian that he once was, but instead, he's alienating everybody: his squad, his captain. He purchased flea collars for everyone in the squad and set a schedule of walks with Captain Komamura. Trying to create a more harmonious working environment, he said, but I think the captain was insulted. He keeps it up, and he'll be out of the Seireitei faster than Komamura can scratch. He told Yamamoto where to find a good barber and lectured Kuchiki about the impropriety of arrogance in a morale building environment. He went so far as to talk to Kenpachi about hygiene and the importance of looking your best in front of your men. He hasn't made a lot of new friends lately, but the enemies are coming out of the woodwork."

Shuuhei nodded.

"Speaking of enemies," Kira continued, "if I were you, I'd stay away from Kenpachi for awhile. He blames you for what happened to Ikkaku and Yumichika. He's concerned that in his present state of mind, Yumi might not be able to enjoy a good fun fight any more. Ikkaku's not real happy with you either, since Kenpachi's been pressuring him to bring Yumichika back into the flock."

"I'm not worried about Kenpachi. I've never counted on his support anyway. But don't say I didn't warn you. Knowing about your past life and death changes your current life, whether you like it not."

"Is it that, Shu, or is it how we deal with that knowledge? Maybe we weren't prepared for the consequences. You could have tried harder to warn us."

"You're blaming this on me? You have a helluva lot of nerve, Kira."

"Everyone's blaming this on you, Hisagi. You should have kept your mouth shut."

"And you guys should have listened to me when I told you not to go Isane." Hisagi felt the cheek where she had slapped him grow warm.

"Well, we went," the blond stated hotly, "and the results have been disastrous. You left right away to go on field training exercises, but ever since you got back, you haven't really been here. Renji, Ikkaku and I have had to clean up the mess that you created when you opened your mouth and told us about your past life. I'm glad you had a crappy life. You're a crappy person."

With that, Kira's fist flew out and knocked the coffee from Shuuhei's hand. He flash stepped into the distance.

"My coffee!" Shuuhei stared at the puddles created by the spilled beverage on the wooden walkway. For a brief moment, he wondered whether it was worth getting a splinter in his tongue.


	6. Chapter 6

Renji came out of a nearby office to find a melancholy Shuuhei leaning on the railing, staring off into the distance.

"What's up your skirt, Hisagi?" asked Renji.

"Shut up, Abarai, I'm in no mood," came the short reply.

"Like that's anything new. You haven't been any fun for days. Seen Kira around? I thought he'd be with you."

"The little back-stabber went that way," Shuuhei pointed with a nod of his head.

"What's the matter? You two have a lover's quarrel?"

"I told you once, Abarai, shut up. Now do it!"

"Oooo, big man. Make me." Renji whiffed Shuuhei's hair with his hand, all the while bopping and weaving like a boxer.

"You're not a boxer, and you never were."

"That's not what Isane said. She likes it when we go ten rounds."

Shuuhei countered with a missed punch. "Shut up, just shut up."

"Nope, don't think I will."

"All I want is a little peace and quiet."

"Think of this as pay-back, Hisagi, for what we've gone through over the past week."

"You too? Don't make me hurt you, Renji."

"As if you could."

"I can, and I will if you don't leave me alone."

"Try it, you waste of spirit particles. What's the matter, Java Junkie? Gonna cry? Why don't you run along home to Kira, and I'll hop on by Division 4 and see if Isane wants a little red-hot Renji-love. A little Big Red goes a long way."

"Why, you!" He grabbed Renji by the collar and shoved him roughly up against the wall. He was tired and weary and had no time or patience for Renji's nonsense.

"Listen up, you... I ought to drill a hole in you right now." His reiatsu grew, shaking the entire first floor wooden walkway.

"Really, Vice Captain. Is that the behavior of a man looking to be promoted to full captaincy?" The cold voice pierced to his consciousness, deflating his reiatsu and his spirit.

"Captain Kuchiki, sir!"

"Zaraki told me that you were making trouble. I'm sure you can release my vice captain now, Hisagi, and whenever you feel in the mood to attack another officer, please do not use mine. He is sometimes useful for dusting high places."

Captain Kuchiki sailed on down the walkway, his haori flowing gracefully behind him. He stopped and turned his head slightly, "A word of advice, Vice Captain, if you ever expect to be anything more than that. Sleeves. Acquaint yourself with them. Oh, and Vice Captain? Never let your emotions cloud your desire for advancement."

"Yes, Captain." His face reddened until it felt as if all of his blood had pooled in his face. As Kuchiki disappeared from sight, Hisagi's desire to punch Renji became almost irresistible.

"Don't you have some place high to dust?" With that, Hisagi flash-stepped away.

The amused red head yawned and stretched. He went off in search of Yumichika. Maybe he could borrow one of those big pillows and take a nap.


	7. Chapter 7

Hisagi had flash-stepped to nowhere after the incident with Captain Kuchiki. His desire to get away had taken over, and he had flash-stepped across most of the Seireitei roofs. He really hadn't paid attention to where he was going. He had gone up high and not looked ahead or behind, so it came as a surprise to find that he had stopped on the roof of Squad 10.

He paced for awhile, then sat. He couldn't sleep, everything he did seemed to have disastrous consequences, and he was short-tempered with everyone. Not one of his friends had escaped his wrath since he had come back from the field. This was certainly not his normal, calm, mature demeanor.

Lying back on the warm tiles, he pounded his fists. As the warmth relaxed his body, keeping his eyes open became a struggle. Before he knew it, his awareness began to slip into the depths of his mind.

"Who's on my roof? I have told you people time and again to stay off my roof. Whoever is up there making that racket had better move along right now. I won't tolerate this any longer. Matsumoto, is that you?"

He jolted upright at the sound of the voice from the office below. "No, Captain Hitsugaya."

"Hisagi? What are you doing on my roof?"

"Sitting, sir."

"Sit someplace else. Is Matsumoto up there with you?"

"No, Captain."

"Damn that woman. Move along, Hisagi, and if you see her, tell her I need to see her immediately."

"Yes, Captain. Sorry to bother you, sir."

"Wait, Hisagi. Since you up there, there's a box of roofing tiles and a tube of spirit particle epoxy around there someplace. I told Matsumoto to fix the broken tiles on the roof weeks ago. Since your shunpo is undoubtedly one of the ones breaking my tiles, you can fix them."

"But, Captain..."

"Yes, _Vice_ Captain? Do you consider alienating someone who could become an important ally in your quest for advancement to be a wise decision, Hisagi?"

"Found the glue, sir."

"Do a good job; I'll be up to inspect later."

Shuuhei sighed, opened the tube and squeezed some of the messy epoxy onto the broken tiles. He had been working only a few minutes when Renji flashed stepped onto the roof.

"Whatcha doing there, Shuuface?"

"I'm fixing the roof. What does it look like?"

"What the hell are you doing that for?"

"Cause Hitsugaya told me to."

"Do you always do what white haired dwarves tell you to?"

"Don't start with me. I had enough of you earlier."

"Yea, about earlier. Sorry."

"Me too. I was out of line with both you and Kira. Just haven't been myself lately."

"I talked to Kira. He was feeling pretty bad too."

"He owes me a cup of coffee."

Renji asked again, "So why are you fixing a roof? It's not even your own division's."

"Look, I'm doing this because I have a captaincy on the line, Renji. I'm at the mercy of these farts, young and old, until I can get recommendations from six and approved by three others. It's going to be tough 'cause there aren't many of them left."

"If it helps any, Ukitake and Komamura are in your corner."

"Yea, but I don't think I can count on Kyouraku or Kuchiki at this point, and definitely not Kenpachi, so I've got to make Hitsugaya count." He looked at his hands, covered in the sticky epoxy, and felt his nose begin to itch. He looked up at Renji, scrunching up his nose in an attempt to stop the itch. "Exactly why are you here?"

"Why am I here? Because I always wanted to be a Soul Reaper, that's why."

Hisagi chuckled, "No, you moron, I mean here. On this roof. Pestering me."

"See? Answered your own question. I'm here on this roof to pester you."

The first smile Renji had seen for awhile crossed his friend's face. "Just came to tell you that Yumichika went to Isane and asked her for help. After a little sweet talk from Kenpachi, she's agreed to re-hypnotize everyone.

"And do what?"

"Give us different memories, of course. She's already re-hypnotized Yumichika and given him a new ending to his life in the world of the living. He's happy again."

"A new ending?"

"Yea, get this. Now he thinks that he was a dashing young bird breeder…with a full head of hair, I might add…who had a major, but not disfiguring, accident with a tractor. While lying on the ground waiting for help to arrive, he discovers that his land holds a wealth of beautiful gem quality sapphires. So," Renji took a deep breath and rattled on, "he opened a sapphire mining operation and became a huge success which allowed him to open a bird sanctuary and live out his days in peace with his beautiful birds, emus included."

"Over the top. That's just like Yumichika."

"Yea, well, it works for him. Iba did it too. Captain Komomura told him to get over himself, or his sunglasses, with his face in them, would be buried so deep that he'd never see the light of day again. So he asked Isane to re-hypnotize him too. Now he's a moderately successful self-made man. His squad likes him better this way."

"Wouldn't you rather just forget you ever knew?"

"No, I like thinking I was a boxer. I just don't like how I bit the dust, so she's going to implant a new memory, more the way I see myself living my past life."

"Yea, how's that?"

"Well, after the way I really died, I think I should go on to become the undisputed world heavy-weight boxing champ and retire undefeated."

"So she's re-hypnotizing you so that you can lie to yourself?"

"Yea, pretty much."

"And you're okay with that?"

"What's so wrong with it? I consider it a psychological boost."

"I consider it cowardice. You're not facing who you are."

"Well, from the looks of you lately, Shuuhei, I think you could use a few well-placed delusions yourself. You're a mess, and you know it. You can drink the Seireitei dry of coffee, but it still isn't going to help what's really going on. Call me a coward if you want, but I'd rather go into battle thinking I was a winner in my past life than knowing I was a loser. Maybe you should talk to Isane too. I don't think you've faced anything head-on lately."

"I'm not desperate enough to put myself in her hands again. Who knows what she might do." He almost touched the light bruise on his cheek before realizing that his hand might stick.

"Aw, c'mon, you two had something once upon a time. She'll want to help."

"I doubt it, Renji."

"Whatever. I think Kira's with her now, so I'm next. You should think about it, Shuuhei. See you later, Dude. I'm off," Renji waved a quick good-bye and flash-stepped off the roof.

"Yes, you are," agreed Hisagi, sardonically.

"Hisagi, are you river-dancing up there?" came the call from the office below. "The white-haired farting dwarf thinks you should get back to work."

"Yes, Captain. Sorry, sir. No disrespect intended."

"Humph," came the reply from below.

It only took him a few more minutes to reseal and glue the broken tiles, but the job was messy. Spirit particle glue is particularly sticky, but essential, when bonding particles of spirit into new matter. He was just putting the cap back on the tube.

"Psst! Shuuhei!"

A blond head appeared on the opposite side of the roof.

"Rangiku!"

"Keep your voice down. Where's the captain?"

"In his office. He's looking for you. He made me do your work for you."

"I'll thank you later."

"Just scratch my nose, and we'll call it even."

He reapplied the cap only to discover that the tube had stuck to one hand and the cap to the other. _Dang!_ He shook his hands violently in an attempt to win his freedom from the sticky mess.

A white head popped above the roofline.

"Hisagi, are you done yet? I've come to inspect."

"Bye, Shu." Rangiku ducked down the same way she had arrived.

"MatsuMOTO! Don't let her get away, Hisagi. If you're helping her avoid wor…OW." The tube flew out of Shuuhei's hand, landing squarely in the middle of Captain Hitsugaya's forehead, knocking him off-balance. Shuuhei heard a thud as the diminutive captain hit the walkway below.

"Sorry, Sir." MWAH. That was the sound of Vice Captain Shuuhei Hisagi kissing his promotion to captain good-bye.


	8. Chapter 8

Night had fallen over the Seireitei, and with night, came the fear of sleep for Hisagi. Yet, he knew he needed to get some rest. The solution had come to him when he had dozed briefly on the roof of Division 10. Now all he had to do was put it into practice.

_Cat naps,_ he thought, _I'll try cat naps. I'll hold my zanpakutou in my hand and when I relax enough for it to fall out of my hand, it'll clatter to the floor and wake me up. I'll get my sleep, yet I won't have time to dream._

He lay on his back on the bed, waiting for slumber to arrive. His zanpakutou was in his hand which dangled over the side of the bed. As he waited for elusive sleep, he began to adjust his position, gradually moving to his side, sword still dangling. Sleep finally overtook the tired Shinigami. As he relaxed, his hand slowly released the sword. As if in slow motion, it slid from his hand, caught in the folds of the sheets, and was silently guided to the floor by the silky fabric.

The dreams came fast and furious, reruns of past dreams and past lives all mixed together in a bizarre cinema of the mind. The rodeo clown corralling Shuuhei, who looked oddly like an emu, the tractor driven by mini-Tousens in clown hair chasing him around the boxing ring, his lover and his murderer pairs-skating to the sound of squawking parakeets on the ice that covered his grave as he watched from below. He felt like he was smothering in the cold ice.

Startled awake by the need for air, he opened his eyes, but could not see nor breathe. He gasped for breath, but his airways were blocked. The fear of the dream, the panic upon awakening, sent him flailing on his bed, tearing at his face with his hands, as something tightened around his neck in the dark.

At last, he yanked the blanket that had covered his head away from his face and gasped for air. Panting, he sat up in the bed, slowly unwinding the twisted sheet from around his neck. As he hugged it to his heaving chest, he shivered in the chilly night air. He arose and staggered to the open window.

A cry of despair echoed through the Seireitei night.


	9. Chapter 9

"Isane! Isane! Open up!" He pounded on the door with a heavy hand.

"Shuuhei, what are you doing here? Get in here before someone sees you. Are you crazy? You can't just barge into my room like this."

"Please, Isane, please help me."

"Help you? I thought I made myself clear the other day…"

"I know what you said, but I'm begging you. Do to me what you did to the others. I can't stand it any more, Isane. I can't sleep. I'm so tired. I'm afraid to dream. Make the dreams go away, Isane, please. Boxing parakeets, Tousen in a barrel, bulls on a plane…"

She had never seen this strong Shinigami this way. It broke her heart. But then again, it seemed to be the thing he did most often to her. How many times had he broken her heart in their past lives as husband and wife, then at the academy as star-crossed lovers?

Their romance had been young and fresh. After the Giant Hollow attack, she had cared for him at the Division 4 hospital. Once he had healed, he continued to hang around the med labs for no reason other than to see her. She knew it and played hard to get for awhile, but eventually their mutual attraction won out. They began to see each other on a regular basis, although they had decided to keep it quiet for the sake of his career. It was a tender love, one that needed nurturing and protection. Instead, it was trampled the day she hypnotized him for her research project and led him back to his past life.

He had been agitated upon awakening, refusing to explain. Her post hypnotic suggestion of calm had not registered in his brain. He was not calm. He was angry, confused, and guilt-ridden. Worst of all, he withdrew from her, saying it was for the best, that she didn't want to be with the likes of him.

It was only after Captain Unohana had regressed her in an attempt to calm her pupil down that Isane learned the truth. Shuuhei had been her husband. He had cheated on her, had broken her heart, and she had killed him while he lay with his lover. Thank goodness, Soul Reapers had cleansed them both in time.

She had killed him! No wonder he had backed away. When they finally talked, he said he was ashamed of who he had been. It didn't matter who had killed him, he said, he didn't like the man that he was. Despite his words and protestations, in her heart, she felt that she knew the real reason: he was repulsed by her act in their previous lives. No, he said, over and over again. He deserved it; he had cheated on her. He didn't blame her, but she knew better.

They had agreed to never talk about the research and the results again. But their romance never returned. Eventually, it turned to ash and resentment blew away any tenderness that remained. She'd turn her head when she saw him in the hall or in meetings. If she had to treat his wounds, she did it quickly and efficiently, handing him off to someone else as soon as she could. This avoidance became habit and over the years, it almost seemed natural to both of them.

She had thought it silly at first that the others couldn't face their pasts. She had faced hers as a murderer. It gave her more purpose as a healer. But she had acquiesced with some "convincing" from Kenpachi, and one by one, had made Yumichika, Iba, Renji, Kira and Ikkaku something they were not and had never been. She replaced their true memories with false ones. Yumi, a wealthy and handsome bird sanctuary owner; Kira, a two-time Olympic gold medal winner, coach and grandfather who died peacefully in bed in his old age; Renji, a heavy weight boxing champion, later a boxing commissioner who established boxing camps for disadvantaged children; Iba, a hard-working, middle-class businessman with ethics; and Ikkaku, the rodeo clown, who, as the bulls bore down on him in Pamplona, longed only to remember jumping into a barrel just in time.

Now here was Shuuhei, begging her to take him back to that awful time, to replace true memories with false ones, like she had done for his friends.

It only took a moment for these thoughts to pass through her mind. As a healer, she could not turn away this broken man who stood before her. He was desperate for sleep and with it, peace -- peace from the dreams that had haunted him for years.

She led him to the couch.

"Of course, I'll help you, Shuuhei. You just rest here now, okay?"

The anger that had occupied the depths of her heart for so many years began to ebb. She examined the face of the weary Shiningami as his head dropped back onto the arm of the couch. His eyes were blood-shot, his cheeks tear-stained. She touched the tiny bruise on his cheek from where she had slapped him.

"I'm sorry, Shuuhei, I shouldn't have slapped you."

"I deserved it," he answered quietly.

"No, you really didn't. I acted out of anger."

His hand reached up to touch her hair. The words rushed from his mouth. "I've caused you so much pain, Isane. I'm sorry. I called Renji a coward, but I'm the coward. I was a coward in life, at the academy and now here, after the academy. All these years, I haven't been able to face you. I'm ashamed of myself, Isane, ashamed of the immoral bastard that I was in my previous life. It's my fault that you ended up killing me, my fault for doing that to you. And I'm ashamed of who I am now! I am so sorry for what we've become. You were right earlier; I was trying to avoid you this week. I knew you'd be mad, and I've been too chicken to make things right with you. I thought if I just gave you space, left you alone, things would work out. Oh, Isane, Isane. If I could make it different…make it all different…"

It had been a long time in coming, the words that she hadn't dared to hope to hear again.

"Stop apologizing, you silly Shinigami. It was a long time ago, and we both hold grudges too long for things that neither of us is entirely responsible for. Just relax and let Isane take care of you," she said tenderly, bending down to kiss his forehead. Her soft mouth wandered down his temple to his unshaven cheek, leaving a wisp of kisses behind.

"Don't, Isane," he said harshly, turning his head away. "I don't want to hurt you again. Just hypnotize me and get it over with. I don't want to remember my life ending that way, especially at your hands." His brows furrowed as he closed his eyes.

She sat in stunned silence for a moment, hopes dashed, once again rejected by this man.

"You're talking nonsense, Shuuhei. A brave courageous Shinigami like you could never be a chicken, now could you?" she cooed. "Just relax. Take a deep breath. I told you Isane would take care of you. I'll take real good care of you…"

He spent the night on her couch, sound asleep, the first really solid night of sleep that he had had in a long time. She was gone in the morning when he awoke.


	10. Chapter 10

The dining hall was busy the next morning. At a corner table, Toshiro Hitsugaya seemed bothered by the attention of several female members of his division, even going so far as to swat them away. At another, Zarachi Kenpachi was finishing his oat bran and prune juice, readying himself for his daily constitutional.

At a nearby table sat Kira, Renji, Ikkaku and Yumichika. Iba was off on a mission to return flea collars. As usual, Kira and Yumichika ate politely, while Renji and Ikkaku threw their breakfasts down their throats, scattering bits of food everywhere.

"Why do you have to be so indelicate, Ikkaku?" A disgusted Yumichika brushed a splatter of food from his sleeve.

Ikkaku looked up from his plate. "What? I'm hungry," he said, shoveling another forkful into his already loaded mouth.

"Hey, all! How's it going?" Shuuhei approached the table. He threw his leg casually over the back of an empty chair and leaned in, elbow on knee.

"No coffee today, Java Head?" Renji took a sip of his own and proffered it to Shuuhei.

"Maybe later. I'm trying to cut down." An impish grin crossed his face. He added, "It may take awhile."

"You having breakfast?"

"No, not today. Feel too good to be hungry." Hisagi smiled a big toothy grin, causing the scars on his cheek to wrinkle a little.

Izuru smiled. "This is a welcome change from the past week."

"It's been a rough week for everyone."

"Yea, we were thinking about killing you just to put you out of our misery," Ikkaku said absently, applying more food to his open mouth.

"You just like to kill things," said Yumichika.

"What's your point?"

"That was my point."

"You're still alive, ain'tcha?"

"You really do care, don't you?" said a touched Yumichika, kissing him lightly on the forehead.

Ikkaku reached for his sword as the blush spread to the back of his head. "I told you not to do that."

"Fixed any more roofs lately?" asked Renji, sarcastically.

Shuuhei laughed, running a hand through his hair. "Naw, that was a one-timer. With my captaincy on the line, I figured it couldn't hurt."

Renji smirked, "From what I heard, it was Hitsugaya that got hurt."

Shuuhei reddened a bit, "Fortunately, he forgave me when I explained that the tube flew out of my hand by accident. Plus, I told him where he might be able to find Matsumoto. On the downside, she won't forgive me until she needs a drinking partner."

"She won't be mad long then." The men laughed, slapping each other in mirth.

Yumichika nodded towards the corner table, "And, I heard that some of the females in division 10 think Hitsugaya looks rugged with that bandage above his eye."

"Score!!" Raucous high fives caused startled heads to turn throughout the rest of the dining area. Kenpachi growled as he used his haori to mop up the prune juice he had just splashed. However, the distraction had allowed a young white-haired captain to slip out the side door, much to the consternation of his attention-lavishing females.

The noisy Shinigamis, glad to be together again in a pack, didn't notice the attention.

"So, we're all good there," continued Hisagi. "I just have to get back in the good graces of a few more captains, like Kenpachi and Kuichiki, and I'm golden."

Renji remarked, "Captain Kuchiki likes you, Shuuhei. Matter of fact, he reamed me out pretty good for putting him in the position where he had to reprimand you."

"What about the thing Kenpachi told him, about me being a trouble maker?" Shuuhei nodded slightly in Kenpachi's direction, an act that did not go unnoticed by the sharp-eyed captain.

"C'mon, it's Byakuya and Zaraki," said Renji, a little too loudly. "He doesn't put much stock in what Kenpachi says anyway. Too low class to be worth the time, so you're golden with 'Byakuya Baby.' I'm not, but you are. He made me dust the entire office, not just the high places."

"Sorry Renji," Shuuhei smiled.

Renji chuckled, "Sorry nothing. I'm still mad at ya. It'll take you buying me booze to make me forgive you." Renji tossed a half-eaten sausage in Shuuhei's direction.

"I probably owe all you guys a couple of rounds," Shuuhei said quietly.

"Now you're talking, Coffee Bean," Ikkaku slapped him jovially on the shoulder.

Kira asked cautiously, "Not that I'm knocking it, because I'm not, but what brought about this change, Shuuhei? After all, you've been a Hollow's worst nightmare for days."

Hisagi looked at the floor, then raised his head slowly. With a slight look of embarrassment, he said, "I followed your advice, Renji."

"That can't be good…" Yumichika elbowed Ikkaku.

Ignoring him, Hisagi continued, "I went to see Isane. _SQUAWK!_"

The sound issuing from Hisagi's mouth sounded oddly like a chicken.

The four men looked at each other, and then back at Hisagi who was blissfully unaware of the barnyard sound escaping from his lips.

"Told you it wouldn't be good…" snickered Yumichika.

"Yea," said Ikkaku, "but it might be fun."

"I know, I know," Shuuhei continued, "after everything I said, I feel like a hypocrite. But it all worked out great. She re-hypnotized me, and now I feel like a new man."

Kira asked cautiously, "Who re-hypnotized you? You mean Isane?"

"_Buk buk buk_… Who else would I mean? Of course, Isane. _B-KOK!_"

"…and she didn't kill you?"

"Given our history, I feared the worst," Shuuhei shrugged, "but she was super."

"Who? Tell me who was super," Ikkaku bounced in his chair, his eyes gleaming with mischief.

"Isane, _BR-WOK!_ you idiot! I just said that. Weren't you listening?"

"Oh, I was listening! Were you?" howled the seat-dancing man.

"Honestly, Ikkaku, what is your problem?"

Ikkaku threw his hands up in the air, "Man, I'm not the one with the problem."

"Well, me either now," continued Shuuhei, ignoring Ikkaku's gales of laughter. "I think everything is going to be just great between the two of us from now on."

Renji asked slowly, "You mean, between you and Isane."

"_SQUAWK!_ Of course, me and Isane. _Buk buk_… What's the matter with you guys? Who else would I be talking about?"

"Beats me."

"Me too."

"Guess we must be talking about Isane."

"_B-kawk!"_

"Yep, gotta be Isane."

"_B-KAWK!"_

"Isane, it is!"

"_BWAK B-KAWK B-KAWK!_ You guys really are idiots. I gotta go. I owe Captain Kyouraku a new hat and some sake. Don't ask. Long story." The dark-haired Shinigami was off, weaving his way through the tables of the lunchroom.

As he was passing Zaracki Kenpachi's table, Renji called out to him, "Hey, Shuuhei."

Still moving forward, Shuuhei turned his upper body towards his buddies, and hollered, "What?"

"Does it have to do with Isane?"

"_B-KOK!_ IDIOT!" yelled Hisagi over his shoulder, almost directly into Kenpachi's ear.

Kira and Renji watched him disappear out the door. With the swiftness of a panther on the attack, an extremely irate Zarachi Kenpachi followed closely behind.

"That was mean," Kira reprimanded Renji.

"Yea, but funny as hell," Ikkaku laughed.

"I suppose we should call Squad 4," sighed Yumichika.

"In a minute," said Ikkaku. "Let Kenpachi have a little fun."

"Do you think we should tell Shuuhei about the post-hypnotic chicken suggestion?" asked Kira.

"Naw," said Renji, "Payback is a bitch."

"…named Isane," added Ikkaku. "Let's have fun with it for awhile."

Yumichika looked wide-eyed at Izuru, "Besides, have you seen the price of eggs recently?"


End file.
